Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Seam Allowance Guide Review and Giveaway

Seam Allowance Guide

A couple of weeks ago I was contact by Hollie, who has made a new tool called a Seam Allowance Guide, which is a nifty tool you attach to your scissors when cutting out a pattern that requires a seam allowance. Hollie was interested in knowing if I would be eager to try it out. My answer? Boy, would I!

It arrived in the post yesterday, and today I tested it out. The theory behind it is that instead of laboriously measuring out the seam allowances on a traced out pattern (i.e. Burda Magazine, Ottobre Design Magazine, Japanese pattern books) you attach the tool to your scissors, and use the guide to cut around your pattern, creating the seam allowance as you go.

I am here to tell you that it worked a treat! My first attempt was ever so slightly wonky, but my second was perfect, so it's not at all tricky to get the hang of. And let me tell you, I'm not the most coordinated seamstress on the planet! You can move the black ring on the guide along to create different sized seam allowances, which means that you could use it to make a seam allowance, a hem allowance etc.

Now, I'm not the sort of sewer who has every sewing gadget under the sun. In fact, I like to keep my tool box pretty spare, and only use the essentials. But this has definitely earned its place in the kit. As somebody who does trace out a lot of patterns, I can see that this tool will be indispensable. Not only will it save me time, but it will also make it much easier to make pattern alterations, which I always seem to do (ahem!).

The kit contains two guides - one to use on scissors with straight blades, and another to use on blades that slope. Seriously, the girl has thought of everything. There's also an instructions card, and if you need extra help Hollie has put a tutorial up on her website.

But the best news is that I have 5 Seam Allowance Guide packs to give away. Yes! So leave a comment in the box - I'll draw the winners randomly on Wednesday 29th June. Please leave your contact email address so I can contact you if you win.

Update: Happy to post both Australia wide and overseas. So don't be shy - enter! Oh, and if you wanted to be a follower of my blog, that would be nice too ;)

Best of luck!

94 comments:

  1. That does look like a good idea - I hate tracing seam allowances, so usually just eyeball them, with mixed results!

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  2. Brilliant! Only last night I was trying to figure out some vintage patterns for baby clothes in a book where the seam allowances varied between 1cm and 2cm. It made my brain hurt.

    Fingers crossed to win this fabulous doo-flicky!

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  3. Looks like a nifty little device. Count me in.

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  4. I saw these online and they are fantastic! I would love to enter please! What a great giveaway!
    Stevie
    beebeesvintagedress@hotmail.co.uk

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  5. I saw Tessuti review them i think. ..maybe. I wasn't convinced to start but once I watched the tutorial i thought "why has no one done this before?"

    would definitely save a whole heap of time, paper..frustration :) count me in. spikejd[at]gmail[dot]com

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  6. what a niffy dodad of an idea:)

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  7. Oh wow, what a smart cookie she is. Great idea!

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  8. Please pick me! Sounds like such a handy tool. Adding allowances can be so tedious...the faster I can get to cutting, the happier I think I'll be!

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  9. Why didn't I think of inventing this? Will be great help with those already pesky Japanese patterns!

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  10. Oops...forgot to add my email. It's el@cjarch.com.au Thanks!

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  11. hoolie doolie! I saw this product just last week for the first time. It would be great for the Ottobre patterns.

    My email address will come up if you reply to a comment of mine.

    xxoo Cherri

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  12. that is the most ingenious invention!!! Count me in catherinec@ggs.vic.edu.au

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  13. Yay! Please enter me!

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  14. I'm such a lazy sewer...winning one ofthose would mean my seam allowances would actually be consistent!

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  15. This looks cool, especially with your positive review. Yep, I'd like to win it!

    Kathleen

    badgehog at hotmail dot com.

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  16. Anonymous6:59 pm

    Genius! Count me in.
    ~Alana
    (thislightgetsin@gmail.com

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  17. Thanks for the giveaway!
    Fingers crossed!

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  18. Great idea!
    I could definitely use one of those.
    Have a lovely week, stay warm.

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  19. Now that IS a great gadget. I use lots of magazine patterns so it would come in very handy. (mail dot melj at gmail dot com)

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  20. I would love to try that seam allowance guide! Thank you. (dboulay at gmail dot com)

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  21. Oooh! Yes please! (leithlilley@gmail.com)

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  22. Ohh, I always mess up seam allowances so this would be just purrrfect! Enter me, pretty please.

    brizitka2001(at)yahoo.com

    Thanks for making this an international giveaway. :-)

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  23. Anonymous9:05 pm

    Brilliant idea! Thanks so much for the chance!

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  24. Love this idea. It looks like such a time-saver!

    snowdance1 at gmail dot com

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  25. Genius! How smart is she!

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  26. Adding seam allowance is the part of sewing that I less love, and sometimes it's the reasoon of my procastinating, so this little piec could be a great timesaver for me! Thank you for the giveaway!

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  27. genius, i would love one of those!
    thanks for the giveaway....

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  28. wow, what a fantastic creation!!! I have been putting off altering patterns as i didnt want to do all that extra measuring ( lazy, yup i know)

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  29. Such a good idea - this has been on my wishlist since I first saw it. Thanks for the opportunity!

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  30. What a great idea! I usually just eyeball the seam allowance so this tool is fantastic!

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  31. Sounds like a good gadget.

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  32. Yaay! I hope I win (my Clover double tracing wheel-y got stepped on and the wheels are wonky now) and this would make an awesome replacement!

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  33. what a great gadget...i so hate drawing the seam allowance.....i usually just guesstimate it...badly...

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  34. yay! thanks for the giveaway!

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  35. Oooh, nifty! I'll put my hat in for this, although in the unlikely event I should win we may have a problem since there's a postal strike on here in Canada at the moment. Hopefully done soon. But I really like this gadget!

    Also, I always forget to hit the google follow button, but you've been in my reader (and my blog links) since I first stumbled on you. You're one of the funniest blogs out there :).

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  36. So clever! I usually just eyeball it-- not the most precise method. This would help so much.

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  37. Sounds like a great idea. I hate measuring seam allowances!

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  38. What a wonderful giveaway! Thank you for the chance to win

    prizpriz at gmail dot com

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  39. Pick me! Pick me! That is one handy tool.

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  40. Anonymous12:25 am

    oh that would be so cool to win! I can't remember where I saw this gadget first but it stuck in my mind as something I needed. I even had a use for it the other day and was sad I didn't have it. Hopefully I win so that desire is remedied :O)

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  41. gah! this is genious! i want one!

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  42. How cool to know someone who has thought of something so new and great. Yes, please count me in!

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  43. Please do count me in. I'd love to use one of these gadgets and will have to buy one (if I'm not the lucky winner).

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  44. This would be a godsend for me! I'm dying to try both the Burda and the Japanese patterns with this. I'm not a very experienced sewer but this would give me so much confidence to try some new designs!!

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  45. Would love to give this nifty little device a try.

    zervansicks {at} gmail {dot} com

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  46. Please, please count me in (and pick me!). I suck at the measuring...

    tina_crossgrove(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  47. I need one of those. seriously. I'm a mess with seam allowances!!!

    jesuisavantgarde(at)gmail(dot)com

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  48. I'd love to have one!! What a wonderful giveaway!

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  49. What an absolutely cool idea! With this tool I just may try a Burda pattern. Please toss my name into the hat.
    Angela
    creativediva728[at]yahoo[dot]com

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  50. That little gadget is so unbelievably clever! I love it and would use it all the time to trace pretty Burda patterns :-) I'm holding thumbs I'm a winner!!!

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  51. Anonymous4:46 am

    I've been eyeing this tool ever since I saw it on BurdaStyle.... :) minsurlia (at) gmail (dot) com

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  52. I would like to have one. It could be so useful. (babybaha@gmail.com)

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  53. i love your blog!! and this is such a cool giveaway! what a genius idea!

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  54. This is so simple and useful! :D

    milkteaplz@gmail.com

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  55. Anonymous8:35 am

    Ooh, that looks like a wonderful idea.

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  56. I would love one of these. I have a ton of Japanese patterns and it would make pattern cutting so much easier! Thankyou!

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  57. I saw this on the Tessuti blog and thought what a nifty little thing this would be for the Ottobre patterns. Must get myself one if I don't win.

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  58. I draw my seam allowances on the pattern by attaching three lead pencils together with an elastic band. The outer and the inner pencils are kept at the same height, the middle pencil is pushed up. Trace the seam and voila the required seam allowance is there too.

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  59. I love sewing gadgets that really work. I have lots of marking tools, but cutting without marking? Sign me up!

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  60. I would love to win this tool. It would be so handy!

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  61. Great idea, would love one :)

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  62. sounds fantastic. what a great idea!

    pick me! pick me!

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  63. Gotta love gadgets! This one sounds like a winner - I tend to overestimate my seam allowances, which results in tedious unpicking and re-jigging of pattern pieces.

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  64. I love little sewing thingamajigs.
    Make sewing such fun!

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  65. I am totally a gadget girl. I will have one of these in my kit soon enough. Thanks! And I've followed you for a few years now :)

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  66. Wow! Lots of interest in these! I am getting into my Burda mag patterns at the moment so would love to give them a whirl.

    quiltsewsewsue@gmail.com

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  67. Oo-er! For someone who cuts a lot of patterns from Ottobre, that is definitely my type of gadget!!

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  68. Oh, how ingenious! This would be much easier than measuring and tracing out seam allowances, count me in!

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  69. Anonymous4:44 am

    What a splendid idea. As I've just returned to using Burda magazine patterns this would be a gadget that I'd actually use!

    evie[at]jonesmail[dot]eu

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  70. I've read about these things. I would love to win one and give it a try.

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  71. I find that adding the allowances the usual way takes almost as long as transferring the pattern itself. I'd definitely would love to have one of these to help!

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  72. Fabulous! I love "quick & dirty" sewing tricks!

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  73. I'd love to win one of these! Bloody brilliant idea!

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  74. Crikey! That's brilliant!

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  75. as my partner would say, what a most excellent doo-hickey. even if I don't win I think I will have to get one on my own... love your blog. x

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  76. That's really nifty idea!

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  77. Ooh! Choose me!

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  78. I would love to give this a go! :)

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  79. These sound really good! I always worry that when I add seam allowances on pointed bits/corners that I am doing it wrong. These would eliminate that problem!

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  81. Looks great! gotta love a gadget.

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  82. Perfect! Just what a seam allowance challenged sewist like me needs.
    Please count me in. pretty please?

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  83. What a fantastic invention! I'd love to win one!

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  84. Ooh what a great invention- the one thing I hate about those paper patterns is remembering to mark out seam allowance. My email addy is jane@solarosa.com

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  85. What a great idea. Adding seam allowances is what keeps me from using my Ottobre patterns as much as I would like to.

    reaton98atgmaildotcom

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  86. Ooohhhh.... fingers crossed my number comes up!

    I believe my email should come up if you reply to me?

    from the girl on seaming island on her way to ribbing island.
    Sarah

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  87. Brilliant idea, I've lost count of the number of times I ended up forgetting a seam allowance on one side of a pattern, this would be great for reminding me to add them all round and to keep them even.

    jennie-24-7@hotmail.co.uk

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  88. As an avid Ottobre pattern tracer I think this is the best invention ever!! Thanks for such an excellent giveaway!

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  89. This looks really useful!

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  90. This looks such a great idea!!

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  91. Simple and brilliant!

    Sam

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  92. Jorth - I absolutely LOVE your blog!!! I found it about a year ago when you made the Jean ruffled back dress for Grumbles. I can see how this gadget would work perfectly with Octtobre patterns. Thanks for all of your wonderful stories, tips, projects, and the occasional recipe:)

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  93. seems like a gadget we've all been waiting for.

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  94. Jorth!
    I don't know if you'll still get this, but I was chuffed by your review so I immediately popped over to the site and grabbed me a set... Should be coming soon!! [Thank you muchly for showing us them in your bloggables... I would never have come across them any other way...! Hooray!]
    This excites me no end for I really do wish to truly get into the whole self-drafted-perfectly-fitted clothing thingo... [Coming from an irregularly sized young lady!]I've made a couple of dresses this way, but blimy, it took a while!

    I will add, while I'm visting, that I think you're amazing! I love love love reading your blog and have suggested it to Mum too... Very entertaining :) Ta

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